EBay Alters Sellers' Fees and Adds Support

Published: February 7, 2005

EBay, the online auction site, has altered a recent decision to increase fees.

In a letter posted on its Web site yesterday, Bill Cobb, president of eBay North America, said that the company would reduce certain minimum listing fees by 5 cents, to 25 cents, on its United States and Canadian Web sites.

The reduction, which took effect at midnight, applies to several categories of sales: auction-style listings, fixed price, motors (nonvehicle) and business and industrial noncapital equipment, the letter said.

The company, based in San Jose, Calif., said it would retain the 60 percent price increase it announced last month, angering customers who host stores on its Web site. But it said that it would credit $15.95 -- a month's subscription for a basic store -- in May to all sellers who operated a store for the month of April.

Separately, within the next 90 days, the company plans to eliminate most of its automated e-mail responses and instead provide e-mail responses from customer service representatives. ''We will only use auto responses to acknowledge receipt of spam or policy violation reports,'' Mr. Cobb said in the posting.

Also, starting April 1, all eBay store owners will have access to phone support, which has been available only to its biggest sellers, which it classifies as silver, gold, platinum and titanium power sellers.

The moves, Mr. Cobb said, were in response to concerns about customer support.